Wing tip vortex reducer for aircraft



Qbt. 18, 1949.

E- L. SHAW WING TIP VORTEX REDUCER FOR AIRCRAFT Filed Oct. 18, 1943 Ai {gin L. Shaw Patented Oct. 18, 1949 2,485,218

UNITED as Pare-N OFFICE 2,485,218 W'INGTIB VQRTEX panacea FOR ATRCRA'FT' Elgin L; Shaw, Guyahoga Falls, hio,- assignor to Goodyear Aircraft Corporation, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of'Delawa're Application 0'c'to'lier l8, 194-3; Serial'No. 506,707

9 Claims. 1 This invention relates to aircraft and, in particular, to adevice for-influencing the air flow around the tip's'of airplanewing's;

It -is a well-known fact that the-air underneathan airplane wing tends to-move-around larger thanthe rotor Hi to provide a greater the wing tip-from thebottom, which hasa greater vortex-eliminating action at the same revolutions air pressure,- to the-top;- which has-a lower air per minute. pressure, thereby: creating vortices which con Due-to the fact thatthe rotor is of stream-lined tribute to the inefiiciencies of the wing and reshape and has noprotruding parts, as is'the case duce its lifting power. Various means and methwith-prior constructions, and because the-roto-r ods have been suggeste'dflto" overcome this diflfiactually opposes the'air flow around the wing tip, culty, however, none of the suggestions seem to it is a particularly practicable andelficientmeans havesolvedthisproblemsatisfactorily." forpreventing vortex-creating air fiow from top The general object of this inventions to re: to bottom of awing tip. I duce or eliminate-tlie' air' flow"froiii the highi It isto be understood that the illustrations pressure side to the low-pressure side of an air; shown in the drawing do'not exhaust the number plane wing and thereby to'increase the wing lift of constructions possible with this invention, but and. performance of the airplane, in miichthe many deviations therefrom may be made withsame manner as increasing 'tlidaspecfiratidof out departing from the spirit and scope of the conventional airplane'wings. appended claims. For example, this invention is According toth'e presentinvention, thevoruces applicable not only to the specific case of fixed formed at the wing iii: are counteracted by a wing tips, but toall surfaces or parts of aircraft body of-revolution in the form of an air foil where similar detrimental overflow conditions which fairs into the wing tipand rotates in such may exist,- such as rotary wing tips,= contro1 surdirection as to cause circulationoppos'ir'ig the faces. propellers and the like Again, the rotor normal wing tip vortices. may be made in the form of a plurality of rotary For a better understanding of this invention, segments if this is found convenient to a given reference may be had to the accompanying drawuse or installation. ing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a wing What is claimed is: tip incorporating the invention; Figure 2 is an 1. In combination, a rigid wing of an aircraft, end elevation of the wing tip of Figure 1; Figure a rotor positioned with its rotating axis substan- 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of tially parallel with the direction of flight and Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a modification of Figforming a win tip, said rotor having circular ure 3. cross-section and a longitudinal contour corre- More particularly, a rotor, designated by the sponding substantially to that of the cross-secnumeral I0, is mounted in bearings l2 and It tional shape of said airfoil at its outer end, bearattached to a wing terminus or tip l6, one at ing means for the rotor mounted in said wing, the front and one at the rear, respectively. The and means for driving said rotor in the direction longitudinal shape of the rotor, partially surfrom the low pressure side to the high pressure rounded by the end face of the wing, is stream- 40 side of said wing. lined and substantially conforms to the cross- 2. In combination with a supporting surface sectional contour of the wing. An electric or of an aircraft, a streamlined, rigid rotor of cirother motor l8, within the wing, is provided to cular cross-section journaled with its rotating drive the rotor in a direction from the low presaxis substantially parallel with the direction of sure, or upper, side to the high pressure, or lower, surface movement and forming a terminus to side of the wing. This motor may be used for the surface, the longitudinal contour of the rotor turning the rotor only, until the airplane is in corresponding substantially to that of the crossflight, or the motor may be used to continuously section of said surface, and means for rotating drive the rotor. In the first case, the motor I8 the rotor from the low to the high Pressure d will be disengaged after the airplane has assumed of said surface. sufficient speed and an air-driven impeller 20, n Com n With a Supporting u a o secured to the shaft of the rotor, will then serve an aircraft, a r mli i i rotor o ir l to drive the rotor. cross-section journaled with its rotating axis The embodiment of the invention shown in substantially parallel with the direction of sur- Figure 4 is similar to that of Figure 3, and, acface movement and forming a terminus to the 2 cordingly, like numerals have been used in Figure 4, except that the sumx a has been added. The structure of Figure 4 differs from that of Figure 3 only in that the rotor Ill is somewhat surface, the longitudinal contour of the rotor corresponding substantially to that of the crosssection of said surface but the diameter of the rotor being a fraction larger at any selected section than the adjacent thickness of the surface, bearing means for the rotor mounted in the surface, and means for driving the rotor in a direction from the low-pressure side of the high-pressure side of said surface.

4. In combination with the supporting surface of an aircraft, a streamlined, rigid rotor of circular cross-section substantially fairing into the upper and lower face of said supporting surface and journaled with its rotating axis substantially parallel with the direction of surface movement and forming a terminus to the surface, bearing means for the rotor mounted in said surface, and power means driving said rotor in the direction from the low-pressure side to the highpressure side of said surface.

5. In combination with the supporting surface of an aircraft, a streamlined, rigid rotor of circular cross-section journaled with its rotating axis substantially parallel with the direction of surface movement and forming an outer end to the surface, the longitudinal contour of the rotor corresponding substantially to the cross-sectional shape of said surface at its outer end, bearing means for the rotor mounted in said surface, and an air impeller driving said rotor in the direction from the low-pressure side to the high-pressure side of said surface.

6. In combination with the supporting surface of an aircraft, a streamlined, rigid rotor of circular cross-section journaled with its rotating axis substantially parallel with the direction of surface movement and forming an outer end to the surface, the longitudinal contour of the rotor corresponding substantially to the cross-sectional shape of said surface at its outer end, bearing means for the rotor mounted in said surface, and power means positioned internally of the surface and an air impeller positioned externally of the surface for driving said rotor in a direction from the low-pressure side to the high-pressure side of said surface.

'7. In combination with an aircraft wing containing a recess at its outer edge substantially parallel to the direction of flight, said recess being spaced from the leading edge and from the trailing edge of said wing, a rotor of circular crosssection fitting with a portion thereof into said recess and being rotatable from the low pressure side to the high pressure side of said wing between said spaced leading edge and trailing edge wing portions and forming together therewith the tip of said wing, and means for rotating said rotor.

8. In combination with an aircraft wing, a stream-lined rotor of circular cross-section attached adjacent the outermost end of and forming the tip of the wing, and means for rotating the rotor about its longitudinal axis substantially at right angles to the direction of wing movement with the upper side of the rotor turning away from the wing.

9. In combination with an aircraft wing, a stream-lined rotor of circular cross-section attached adjacent the outermost end of and forming the tip of the wing and fairing into same, and means for rotating the rotor about its longitudinal axis substantially at right angles to the direction of the wing movement with the upper side of the rotor turning away from the wing.

ELGIN L. SHAW.

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,273,166 Erway July 23, 1918 1,541,195 Smith June 9, 1925 1,865,859 Jacobs July 5, 1932 1,879,594 Trey Sept. 27, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 474,215 France Nov. 12, 1914 

